Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Lester M. Sdorow, author of Psychology, answers questions about health and psychology.

1. So much research has been done on stressful life events. What about the opposite: lack of anything happening in your life? Is the feeling that you don't get to enjoy or experience enough in life a source of stress?

Evidence regarding daily "hassles" and daily "uplifts" finds that both can affect your happiness. Hassles (such as forgetting an appointment or being stuck in traffic) create stress in your life directly. But uplifts (such as winning at a computer game or receiving a good grade on an exam) can buffer you against sources of stress. Thus, a lack of uplifts can make your life feel more stressful.

2. What kind of training does one need in order to run stress-management programs that help people live better, longer lives?

There are few restrictions on who can run stress-management programs. Ideally, those who run such programs would have graduate training in a related discipline and be licensed in a mental health profession. They should also have specific training in developing and running stress-management programs. Thus, it would be best for you to determine whether a practitioner has the appropriate credentials to offer such programs.

3. What kind of research in health psychology is most likely to help AIDS sufferers?

Though the most important application of health psychology to AIDS is in preventing the very behaviors that lead to it, health psychology is useful to those who have the disease. Health psychologists have devised ways to increase patients' compliance with medical regimens, which is extremely important in the treatment of AIDS. Health psychologists are also working on promising approaches to the behavioral enhancement of the immune system, which would be of prime importance in AIDS.

4. Are there serious issues in equality of health care? If so, who receives the least effective treatment, and how can we help them?

As in most aspects of society, there are inequities in the quality of health care. This has much to do with one's economic status--making women, children, minorities, and elderly people especially subject to these inequities. Health psychology can help to a certain extent by promoting healthy behavior and preventing diseases via school programs and the mass media.